Friday, 24-04-26

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to day four of my Cretan holiday.

Yesterday, day three, was a less energetic day in many ways.  If Wednesday was all about the olives, yesterday was all about the food

My breakfast - Greek yogurt (definitely NOT 0%) with fruit, a slice of Maria's banana bread and half an amygdalota (almond cookie) and how you pronounce that is beyond me!!

Then we had a quiet morning doing whatever we chose.  Diane and I grabbed some reading material and had a pleasant time reading and chatting now and again.

For lunch we walked down to Taverna Maleme - the link is to Trip Adviser - for an amazing cookery demo followed by a feast of all the things we had seen how to make plus lamb cooked on the spit.
and wine!
And raki.

We had Cretan dakos (Cretan rusk bread topped with a tomatoey salsa type thing, tzatziki, kalitsounia (spinach and goats cheese mini pasty type things), dolmades (stuffed vine leaves), a salad, the lamb, pilafi, a sort of Cretan roast potato, loukoumades (mini doughnuts with honey and nuts), the raki and, finally, some fresh fruit.  I think most of us positively waddled out of the place!

We also had Cretan music and a couple of other customers did some impromptu dancing.

Oh, it was such fun.

I'm going to have a go at making  the Cretan rusk bread.  It's made with barley flour (which Dove does) and wholemeal flour and it's a twice baked bread/rusk.  

Back to the hotel and Diane and I had a coffee each before a much needed snooze in our respective bedrooms!

I didn't take my camera down to dinner so you are spared yet more food photos.  It was all lovely - taramosalata, the usual bread with evoo and balsamic vinegar, something tomatoey, beetroot, apple and walnut salad, chicken and pork gyros and a yogurt pie to finish.
And wine!!

Today will be both busy and interesting.  Weather permitting, we will be heading off to a local farmer's market, weather permitting.  If not, they will arrange an alternative for us - we had rain yesterday so fingers  crossed.  Then we visit a local honey producer with a tasting session and finally to an award winning local winery to learn about their wine production followed by another taster session with snacks to soak it all up a bit!
Once back at the hotel, it's r&r time until dinner which sounds as if it will be quite a party with music and dancing.  A very nice end to a special day.  :-)